LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2023

LCBO NOTES

From our President & CEO

One thing that won’t be changing is our celebration of local products, which is a priority every day, but kicks into high gear every autumn. We are delighted to showcase Ontario’s outstanding wines, beers, ciders, and spirits in-store, online and, of course, in the pages of Food & Drink . The magazine does a great job of high lighting local places and producers, and I’ve visited quite a few shops and restaurants in my travels after reading about them here. Like many readers, I’ve also tried many recipes and pairing suggestions over the years and always look forward to finding new ideas for entertaining, décor and gifting in each issue. Not to mention all those innovative cocktail recipes…. I love that Food & Drink inspires me to try new flavour combinations and includes cocktails that can make anyone feel like a confident mixologist. As for wines, I’m often asked what I serve when entertaining, but, given my role, that’s a difficult question to answer! I appreciate sampling wines from around the world, as well as those produced right here in Ontario. When it comes to entertaining, no celebration is complete without bubbly, so I keep a variety of Champagnes and sparkling wines on hand for toasting occasions. This fall, the toast is Happy Anniversary to Food & Drink —here’s to the next 30 years!

Dear Friends,

Big anniversaries have a way of making us pause and take stock of the past. They also inspire us to think about the future. Recently, LCBO celebrated our 95th anniversary, and now Food & Drink marks 30 years. I feel so fortunate to recognize these milestones and share them with you, our valued readers. While we can never know what the future holds, I believe LCBO is on a very promising path. We made a conscious decision to improve the way we do business when we designed our Spirit of Sustainability platform. It’s our commitment to help support Ontario’s social and environmental needs and foster a more equitable and diverse community in all sorts of meaningful ways. Together with our Good Partners from the beverage alcohol industry, we have embarked on a mission that will make a positive impact across Ontario for years to come. With LCBO.com, we continue to enhance our online shopping experience to meet evolving customer preferences. We currently welcome nearly 1 million visitors every week to our site, where they can shop for over 12,000 products and choose from three convenient options, including home delivery, free delivery to store and our popular free Same-Day Pickup, which is available in half of our stores provincewide.

GEORGE SOLEAS President & CEO, LCBO

“Meals and gatherings with family and friends are a tenet of my Greek culture, and this magazine is a wonderful source of inspiration. My wife is the baker of the family (she makes beautiful pastries and cookies), but I am known for my grilled lamb. Other favourite recipes from Food & Drink include Prime Rib with Mustard & Rosemary Crust, Thai Mussels and Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast.” Find more of George’s favourite Food & Drink recipes in our online roundup at LCBO.com/fdautumn23. COOKING WITH FOOD & DRINK

PORTRAIT BY CARLYLE ROUTH

10 FOOD & DRINK AUTUMN 2023